While the names of the nominees for the annual prize are traditionally kept secret, Trump's nomination was revealed on Twitter by Kristian Berg Harpviken, a respected Nobel watcher and director of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo.

"Mr @realDonaldTrump has been nominated for the #NobelPeacePrize by an eligible US citizen for his "peace through strength ideology," he said.

Harpviken added that other reported nominees include Pope Francis, Edward Snowden and the Greek Islanders, who aided thousands of refugees in the European migrant crisis.

Rumours of Trump's nomination came as a surprise. Although the 69-year-old businessman is thought to be a frontrunner in the race to the White House, he remains a divisive figure due to his track record for courting controversy.